Excellent suggestion Grant. Thank you! I do have about a two inch air space between the water level and the planter. There is about 3 inches of water in the reservoir but I realized I could do with much less. As long as there is standing water that can be absorbed and wicked (regardless of how deep) then it should work. This may help help with the water logged soil problem I'm having too. Lower water level lower wicking potential, does that sound right? I have no clue. I'm just trying to be smart. Haha. When I set up this system I was worried that there wouldn't be enough water but I've learned it only takes a little bit of water supplied consistently. This is gonna work. I just know it!! Thanks again

ctlady - The garden verbascums come in a variety of pastel shades: the white or cream, soft yellow, and a salmony pink. Some have different colored centers and some don't. The will seed around some if you let them. Mine weren't in an ideal spot and I found them to be somewhat short-lived perennials. I don't know if they do better in a better spot.

Aeroflo or other diy aeroponics systems use just hydroton suspended in net pots in the air in a system exactly like you describe except instead of drip emitter, you drill a hole in the side or top and slide the drip line into the bucket and attach a cloning mister. I just built a system using this technique and it's working great. Some people either leave the pump running 24/7 - or on all day and 1 time in the middle of night - or 1 min on 5 min off continuously. at the left bottom of this pic, you can see an Aeroflo system Im using. Im also building some that are in 5 gal buckets as well for my peppers.

Good Luck on this. Several years ago I found that the State of California was holding several hundred dollars for me apparently from an old brokerage account that dated back to the 1960ties-early 1970ties when I was still single & lived at the apartment house address shown for me. I sent them all kinds of photos of documents, including a copy of our marriage certificate changing my name & an old passport from 1967. I thought all would be sufficient, but no. I got very angry on the phone, telling them that I thought what I had supplied them already was sufficient for something going back almost 40 years, & I'd like my money. She said she'd "talk to her supervisor", and a few weeks later I received the check in the mail. One thing I did have that I never sent was a stamped envelope from 1966, inviting me to a friend's wedding shower, which plainly showed my "maiden name" & the correct address from 40 years ago. I felt I had jumped through enough hoops by that time. Currently I have about $4.00 being held by the unclaimed property division of the State of California, but it's hardly worth my trouble to apply for it considering the foregoing experience.